In the early stages of our lives it is natural for us to be dependent on others, either our parents or caregivers, depending on the circumstances. But there comes a time when it is necessary to stop clinging to those bonds, learn about how to be more independent, and not always be conditioned by the care of others .

In the following article we will review a list of tips for learning to function more autonomously in our daily lives.

Stop depending on others

Independent people are not lonely or bitter; in fact, they can relate well to their peer group when necessary.

What really characterises these people is that they do not depend totally on other people to fulfil their objectives , they do not mind carrying out activities alone, but neither do they seek to isolate themselves voluntarily.

In addition, they stand out for their self-confidence in their fundamental abilities to live autonomously, and they understand that it is not always necessary to be accompanied by other people to carry out a project.

However, independent people are also able to detect when they need help in certain particular areas, and have no problem asking for it . They understand that they cannot cover the entire workload of some situations on their own, and they know how to delegate functions.

How to be more independent?

Here is a review of some useful tips on how you can become more independent in life.

1. Self-acceptance capacity

We need to understand ourselves more objectively. That is to say, we must be clear about our strengths and what we need to improve .

This recognition will help us to better understand in which areas we can perform well on our own, and in which others it would be good to have help or to delegate functions to other people with a better knowledge of the area.

2. Self-motivation

When we start to develop self-motivation, we are gaining in strength to become more independent in the future. The ability to be self-motivated is what makes us a more confident person.

When we have learned to give ourselves motivation on our own we don’t need a group of people telling us that we are good at something , because we have already identified our strengths and our weaknesses, and we know what we can be capable of.

3. Respect for the opinions of others

The independent subject does not believe that he owns absolute reason on all the subjects he knows. On the contrary, he is always willing to broaden his knowledge by actively listening to others, even if he does not share their views.

When we are independent we don’t let people who think differently from us determine us with their opinions , because that means giving the other person too much control over us.

4. Recognition of emotions

Independence means being able to relate to others without becoming dependent on them . To the extent that we are able to recognize our own emotions as well as those of others, we become less likely to generate emotional attachments that can complicate us in various areas of life.

To recognize emotions properly we must ask ourselves the right questions: What exactly do I feel? What motivates this emotion? Is it worth encouraging this feeling?

With regard to the emotions of others, it is good to take into account the behavior of others. Many times we think that emotions are subject to the words that others tell us, but the reality is that facts are more significant.

5. Accept that things don’t always turn out the way we would like them to

If we can be aware that things will not always go as planned, we will become more tolerant of frustration and less dependent on immediate results , which allows us to focus more on long-term results.

Sometimes circumstances occur that are beyond our control, and it’s not worth losing your cool about it; it’s just a matter of accepting that fact and looking for the best way to deal with it.

6. Coherence between thought and action

Another of the most useful tips on how to be more independent is to cultivate self-confidence, as we have seen above. But it’s not enough just to believe that you are good at something, you must be able to prove it . Avoid falling into personal over-evaluation.

7. Source verification

Some people keep what others told them as something true, as an irrefutable truth, while the independent subject prefers to corroborate this information by himself and is able to search in various sources on his own to have a better picture of the facts.

8. Learning to do household chores

Being independent means being independent in all the basic areas of life, not just in some very specific ones. Therefore, it is important to invest time and effort in learning the basics of living alone: cooking, washing and ironing clothes, managing the household economy, etc.

Bibliographic references:

  • Kawamoto, T. (2026). “Personality Change from Life Experiences: Moderation Effect of Attachment Security.” Japanese Psychological Research, vol. 58(2). pp. 218 – 231.
  • Strack, S. (2005). Handbook of Personology and Psychopathology. Wiley.